Author: Blake Sasse

Raptor Biologist Dave Bittner dies in climbing accident

Raptor biologist John David Bittner died January 9, 2020 while rappelling down a cliff in San Diego County, California to change the batteries on a camera installed on the cliff to monitor a Golden Eagle nest.

He received a B.S. in Zoology and Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University (1968) where he also conducted graduate studies in Avian Reproduction and Natural Resources (1975-1977). He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Ohio Dept of Natural Resources, and taught at three different Universities. He co-founded the Wildlife Research Institute in 1993.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune, January 10, 2020.  Ramona Sentinel, January 16, 2020.   Wildlife Research Institute.

Wildlife technician bit by grizzly while conducting survey

In May, 2018 USFWS wildlife technician Amber Kornack was collecting bear hair samples in Montana and despite following recommendations to make noise with whistles and hand claps to alert bears, she ended up walking to within 12 feet of a male grizzly bear. Once the bear noticed her, it attacked, and bit her head causing a skull fracture. She managed to drive it away with bear spray and ended up walking 2 miles with this severe injury in order to get back to her vehicle. The bear was relocated in 2019 after causing problems in a populated area.

Sources: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 29, 2019, NBCMontana.com

Scholarship fund established for biologist that died during prescribed fire

The South Carolina Wildlife Federation has established a scholarship for those pursuing environmental fields in memory of Nicole Hawkins, who died during a prescribed fire at Fort Jackson earlier this year. For more information on how to apply or to donate, go to http://www.scwf.org/chadwick-fund

GAO Report on Threats and Attacks on Federal Land Management Agency Employees

Federal land management agency employees are continuing to be attacked or threatened on a regular basis. These incidents resulted in opening up many domestic terrorism investigations. Check out the GAO report.

In Memoriam — Mark Alan Jackson

Mark Alan Jackson, a Kansas Parks and Wildlife Department temporary employee, died June 25, 2019 while spraying weeds on the Milford Wildlife Area when the ATV he was riding overturned, rolled down, and embankment and pinned him underneath.

Source: Kansas Parks and Wildlife Department Press Release; Junction City (KS) Post.

In Memoriam – Angela Nicole Chadwick Hawkins

Angela Nicole Hawkins, 45, passed away during a prescribed fire at Fort Jackson in South Carolina on May 22, 2019 during a prescribed fire. Details relating to the cause of her death are not yet available as of this time.

Born in Guntersville, Alabama on March 4, 1974 she earned a Bachelors degree at Auburn University and a Masters Degree from Virginia Tech University.

Since 2007 she worked as a wildlife biologist at Fort Jackson and focused primarily on red cockaded woodpeckers. Prior to that she worked for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

A scholarship fund in her name has been established by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. Donations can be made at http://www.scwf.org/chadwick-fund

Sources: https://powersfuneralhome.net/tribute/details/2760/Angela-Hawkins/obituary.html

In Memoriam – Benjamin M. Poirier

On January 27, 2018 Benjamin M. Poirier died in a helicopter accident near Pomeroy, Washington. Poirier was working for Hells Canyon Helicopters under contract with the Washington State Division of Wildlife to capture and radiocollar mule deer. Pilot Blake Malo, 33, of Clarkston, Washington, and another crew member, Garrett Bradshaw, 30, of Eagle Point, Oregon, were injured and were taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.

He was born March 14, 1998 in Thornton, Colorado.

Sources: Associated Press story, January 30, 2018. Loveland (CO) Reporter-Herald, February 6, 2018.

In Memorium – Dr. Laura McClellan

Dr. Laura McClellan, age 60, was electrocuted when a metal pole she was using to set up a bat net touched an electric line at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Florida on August 21, 2016. She was an adjunct professor at Indian River State College in Florida, however the project she was working on at the time of her death was not associated with her work at the college.

Dr. McClellan earned her BS and MS degrees at Michigan State University prior to earning a doctorate at Kansas State University in 1988. After a postdoctoral position at the Smithsonian she was a Visiting Professor at Coastal Carolina University and then an Assistant Professor at Central Missouri State University from 1991-1997. She then moved to Kean University and Ocean County College before starting at Indian River State College in 2013. Her work focused on shrews, mice, bats, and other mammals.

Source: Dr. Laura McClellan Linked-In Profile, accessed August 23, 2016; www.wptv.com;

Working Under the Influence

When I began by career I heard stories about “staff meetings” held in the 1970s or early 1980s where beer was consumed by the case. While that sort of wild behavior is a thing of the past, it isn’t uncommon to hear stories about colleagues struggling with alcohol issues, which probably happens in every profession.

However, I was still surprised to hear about the accident involving an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery truck on December 30th, for which the driver has been cited for driving under the influence and reckless driving. After a hydraulic failure put thousands of chinook and rainbow trout at risk at two different hatcheries, and a group of employees were tasked with releasing them. The truck went off the road at a sharp curve and overturned after striking a power pole and several trees. The driver suffered a broken shoulder and several lacerations while being pinned inside the truck.

Being drunk while on duty is most likely foreign to most wildlife biologists and making sure your employees aren’t hammered isn’t something that has even crossed our minds. While the days of agency sponsored beer bashes are over, we still need to be on the lookout for signs of trouble caused by drug and alcohol addiction in our colleagues and employees. Most likely there are counseling and other programs available that can help our friends with these problems and we have to be willing to have the uncomfortable conversations need to make sure they use these resources both to protect them, their families, and the general public.

If you’re a supervisor, I just don’t think this is something that you can afford to turn a blind eye too because they are a “good guy” or are otherwise great biologists. Do you want to be the one to tell their wife they ran their state truck off the road because they were drunk on duty and you knew this could happen? Some agencies may have mandatory drug and alcohol testing requirements and if you suspect something, you probably should make use of the tools available to you to make sure they are working soberly and safely.

Threats to Public Employees in the West

Although many may consider it an unlikely source for investigative journalism of this type, High Country Times recently published a series of articles describing threats to public land employees in the western United States.

The series begins with “Defuse the West” by Ray Ring and Marshall Swearingen. The article gives an overview of the scope of threats to the safety of public land management agency employees in the west from 2010-2014.

In “Roots of the Rebellion“, reporter Tay Wiles discusses threats, primarily to federal employees, with a former director of the Bureau of Land Management, a Utah county commissioner, a professor from Boise State University, and the executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

“Reports from the front lines” by Ray Ring and Marshall Swearingen, contains excerpts from official reports of shots being fired at Forest Service officers, confrontations in federal offices, firebombing of Bureau of Land Management campground hosts, and many other incidents where citizens threatened and/or carried out attacks against natural resource agency employees.

Many of these incidents have been mapped by Brian Calvert and Marshall Swearingen.

Difficulties these reporters faced in obtaining public records regarding attacks and threats against employees of the Bureau of Land Management are detailed by Ray Ring in, “The BLM Fails to Provide Public Records“.

For tips on what you can do to protect yourself against threats or attacks see our previous post about precautions you can take while working in dangerous areas.

You can report threats or attacks against you to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility as part of their Violence Against Employees campaign